Is The iPad A PC?

Tweet

If not, it begs the question then what is it? Can you really call a ten inch machine a "mobile device"? As widely reported this week, including on this blog, Gartner and IDC came out with their early 3rd quarter PC shipment figures.

By conservative estimates, Apple is now neck and neck with Acer behind Dell and HP for top PC maker. IDC is actually going a step further and giving the title of number three to Apple.

This is all without factoring in iPad sales.

If you factor in the iPad, Apple is number one in PC shipments in the United States. 1.9 million in Mac shipments may sound like a "so what" compared to HP's 4.5 million units. But, now add in Apple's 4.5 million iPads also shipped during that time period.

See what I mean.

For the consumer, the purchasing decision is still all about the operating system. The first decision is Windows vs. Mac vs. something else. If you choose Windows, then you decide between HP, Dell, Acer, etc. Windows is still king.

After all these years, as cool and great as the Mac is; it still doesn't come close to the cumulative sales of all those Windows machines. In one quarter, however, the iPad has shot a very significant shot over Windows' bow (again, if you consider the iPad a PC).  Bigger than anything Mac has ever done in one quarter.

I think computer users are just sick to death of both Windows and the Mac. I think they're sick of crashes and clicking and trying to find their stuff, organize their stuff, export their stuff and store their stuff. I think people love their smartphones because there's no mouse. You just touch it, pinch it, tap it, get it fast, and keep it simple.

The PC is like offering a steamer trunk to people who just want a fanny pack.

Apple is hosting a launch event next week for the latest in the Mac line. We know the OS is getting updated (code name Lion and, in fact, there's a picture of a lion on the press invitation to the event). There are also reports on some of the Apple blogs that there's going to be a smaller Macbook Air offered (as small as 11.6 inches) at a significantly lower price than the current 13 inch Macbook Air that goes for about $1500.

Interesting, if true; let's see a ten inch iPad touchscreen tablet or a 11.6 Macbook Air? Which would you buy? Even if Apple offers a smaller Macbook Air for a $1000 (it will be more, trust me) that is still hundreds more than the iPad.

Again, which would you buy? It's sort of like cable television isn't it? Doesn't it feel inevitable that at some point it will be okay to just dump it altogether?

Whether by PC, tablet, smartphone or anything else with an Internet connection, feel free to follow me on Twitter @oricchio

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987. @oricchio